TOPIC: Focus Problem

Everytime we play a brand new movie in our cinema #2, we have get an emulsion buildup in the film gate. This leads to a horrible focus problem, as it cakes in the film gate and moves the print out of focus. (This ONLY happend with BRAND NEW prints.)

We have to play the movie through 2 or 3 times before this problem will go away. I checked our film gate and traps and nothing is scrapping or rubbing. And it does not look like the film gets damaged in any way, as their are no visable scratches in the film. We have a Century projector in that cinema. Any suggestions?
(I'll look up the exact model# tomorrow, if that would help.)

Ken, is Film Guard the brand name? We use Cinecote or Renovex in our booth, but I have never used Film Guard. Is it something I put on the film gate surfaces, or do I have to apply to to the entire movie when I build it?
Thanks

Film Guard is a new product that is available from your cinema supplier or from Film-Tech. It is much different than any other film cleaning fluids you may have tried. It cleans and lubricates. Go to http://www.film-tech.com and read about it. It should be used in conjunction with a media type film cleaner, either a Christie or Kelmar.

A freshly processed print may still have some moisture in the gelatin emulsion, making it slightly softer and stickier, and more likely to abrade and buildup on the gate ("green print"). Kodak recommends maintaining a relative humidity of 50-60 percent in the booth --- excessive humidity can make prints sticky and more prone to projector abrasion. Film lubrication can help.

Be sure your projector gate is truly polished and free of any burrs or deposits that can scuff the film. Use the minimum gate tension that still provides a steady image. The gate should be cool to the touch --- very large lamps require water-cooled gates. Sometimes, applying a thin coating of Johnson's Paste Wax or hard paraffin/carnauba wax to the film-contacting metal surfaces of the gate between shows will help.
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
EI Worldwide Technical Services
Research Labs, Building 69
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Telephone: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
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Website: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion